Granby Street Pizza - Good, Cheap Eats

Armed with our cameras while out and about this weekend, my daughter and I "discovered" Granby Street Pizza in downtown Norfolk. I say "discovered" because although I had heard of it, I didn't realize what a great spot it was until we actually went there.

We really just popped our heads in to see what was going on, especially since we had only recently indulged our sweet tooths at Chocollage (see Sunday, May 22 post).

Inside we found the pizza maker, Mark, tossing the pizza dough in the air to stretch it out, which he repeated a couple more times just for our viewing pleasure. We continued watching him as he made the exceedingly large pepperoni pizza, gaping as he loaded on the sauce, cheese, and roni.  Dessert suddenly seemed such a long time ago...

Although Mark was making up a fresh pizza, we also spied several other, different, delicious-looking pizzas lined up, ready for the serving. Since we love pizza about as much as we love dessert ... well, you can guess how this story ends...

At only $2.50 for a large slice with pepperoni (or $14 for a whole 18" pizza), this pizza is a nice deal.  Even some of the specialty pizzas are only $2.50 a slice, like the Italian Flag Bianca Pizza (white pizza) I enjoyed (shown below right). 

My daughter, Anna, in a kid's conservative fashion, ordered the pepperoni pizza. My tastes run a tad more exotic though, so I chose the Italian slice, which was made with tomato, spinach, ricotta, romano, mozzerella and a goodly smattering of chopped garlic.

After sampling each other's slices, we declared both quite good, although my girl ended up liking mine even more than her own. Determined to try some of the other pizzas at a later date, we decided that we will definitely be back, with the rest of the family in tow!

Granby Street Pizza serves New York Style Pizza; Stromboli, Calzones, and other Italian Fare; Subs, Burgers, Gyros, and Salads.

Located at 235 Granby Street
Norfolk, VA 23510
(757) 622-5084

Thanks to Mark and owner Peter Freda for allowing me to photograph them and their good eats!

Chocollage in Downtown Norfolk

Spent the day yesterday in downtown Norfolk, doing a photo shoot with my daughter. Since of course, we have to have great subject matter for our photos, and since food is always a most willing and pleasant subject, we decided to stop in at Chocollage Bakery and Cafe at 201 College Place.  

I had heard great things about Chocollage for quite a while, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about  -- besides that, I was craving a good cup of coffee, and we were both yearning for something sweet to eat.  

Chocollage, located just off of Boush Street, is almost hidden in a quaint side cluster of small businesses that are tucked among downtown condos and townhouses. 

Although it is hard to notice this unassuming bakery, and sometimes even harder to park just next to it, these small inconveniences are best ignored.  

Once inside Chocollage, you will encounter the feel of a homey, casual, european-style bakery.  When we walked in, my daughter and I were instantly greeted by the friendly gal at the counter, and by one of the owners, Mrs. Marshall, the grandmotherly proprietor and baker extraordinaire, who informed us that she had been there since 5:30 that morning whipping up her sweet masterpieces.

Among those sweet masterpieces were a fluffy, snowy coconut cake; Mrs. Marshall's locally famous peanut butter bombs; a variety of cupcakes; an amazing-looking pecan praline cake; cream cheese brownies; and other beautiful confections.

While it was hard to choose from the variety of tantalizing treats we saw in the well-stocked bakery case, we finally settled on two* -- my daughter chose a red-velvet cupcake thickly topped with a real butter-cream frosting, while I went with the fluffy, exceedingly moist coconut cake.  Slowly savoring each tender bite of that cake between sips of a nice cappucino, I was in heaven. My daughter also loved the coconut cake.  

From what I've heard and read, this cozy 16-seat bakery also serves wonderful sandwiches and other lunch fare in addition to its luscious desserts. Do stop by sometime, and if you do, please tell them Jo Jo sent you! 


201 College Place
Norfolk, VA 23508  
Ph (757) 533-5335

*I fibbed. We also ended up going home with a slice of that awesome praline cake and a chunk of those gooey cheesecake brownies for later. Just could not resist.  Total tab for 4 desserts, cappuccino, tax and tip was under $15!